COP22 Current Affairs - 2019

During the visit of Argentine President Mauricio Macri, Argentina has signed an agreement the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance. The agreement was signed by Argentina’s Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie in the presence of ISA’s Director-General Upendra Tripathy.

The agreement of the International Solar Alliance was open opened for signature during the COP22 at Marrakech on November 15, 2016. The signatories of the agreement include India, France, Australia, UAE, UK, Japan amongst others. Argentina is the 72nd country to sign the Framework Agreement of the International Solar Alliance.

International Solar Alliance

International Solar Alliance aims to provide a common platform to address the specific solar technology deployment needs of the solar resource-rich countries located between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

Availability of abundance of solar energy in these countries can be utilised to generate cost-effective solar power to address the challenges of the absence of universal energy access, energy equity and affordability.

International Solar Alliance will not duplicate the efforts that other bodies like International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), International Energy Agency (IEA), Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21), United Nations bodies, bilateral organizations which are currently engaged in. Rather it will establish networks and develop synergies with them and supplement their efforts in a sustainable and focused manner.

International Solar Alliance is the first body that will have a secretariat in India. India plays a significant role in the alliance in terms of being a host as well as a major contributor in achieving the target of 1 TW of solar energy by 2030. With a target to produce 100 GW of solar energy by 2022, India would account for a tenth of ISA’s goal.

The Union Cabinet approved India’s approach to Climate Change Negotiations at the 22 Conference of Parties (COP) to United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), held in Marrakesh, Morocco in November 2016.

The approval aims to safeguard interest of poor and vulnerable groups by laying stress on adaptation, damage and loss while protecting the development space.

What is India’s approach?

Growth and development of a country are linked with Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. The development space for India and developing countries needs to be preserved while combating the ill-effects of climate change. It seeks to address the adaptation needs of the country to combat the ill-effects of climate change and also enables the achievement of developmental goal. The approach incorporates the interest of all strata of society in the country.

Background

India in the 22 COP to UNFCCC had participated constructively to ensure that actions are based on the principles of equity and climate justice. India in along with other developing countries was able to ensure that climate actions are based on the principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR) and climate justice.